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Tag Archives: Accessorize

We love it when an email arrives in our inbox from a brand we haven’t heard of before. It’s always so exciting discovering a new website to browse, especially when it’s full of pieces we love! So we were excited to hear from Fashion World who invited us to put together a couple of outfits featuring their winter essentials! They have SO much good stuff and there’s still time to order for Christmas, if you’re quick!

Jo was immediately smitten with the Sylvia Stripe Dress by Monsoon* and was determined to build an outfit around it! It’s such a flattering and easy to wear style, with a super stretchy jersey fabric (perfect for this indulgent season!). It’s just so flippin’ comfy and there’s zero ironing required, always a win! We always appreciate a dress than can be worn with all varieties of shoe, and we think this frock looks just as fabulous teamed with Jo’s Simply Be Patent Boots* as it would do with heels. To finish off her look, Jo added a yellow Wool Beret by Accessorize which goes perfectly with the rainbow chevrons on the dress and totally nails the colour block trend! Woo!

Victoria decided to fully embrace the Christmas spirit by wearing an actual Silver Tinsel Jumper*. It’s SO cool and an easy way to add some festive sparkle to any outfit at all. How awesome would it look with a sequin skirt? Blingtastic! For this outfit, she decided to dress it down with some Spot Side Tapered Jersey Trousers which she described as “so comfortable it’s like I’m wearing my pyjamas in public”. Is there higher praise than this? As you can tell, we are really into easy to wear fashion and these trousers, with their lovely detailing, are the perfect way to look like you’ve made an effort when really they’ve been lying on your bedroom floor. She finished off her outfit with a pair of trusty Chelsea Boots*, an absolute wardrobe staple.

Both outfits came in at under the £100 mark (Victoria actually chose a couple of tops to layer under her jumper too! ) which we think is pretty great value. Let us know if you’re a Fashion World shopper or if you’re tempted by any of the items we chose!

J&V

This post was written in collaboration with Fashion World and all items featured were gifted.

Festival season is upon us once again and although we are no strangers to the festival scene, we aren’t off to any this year (boo hoo indeed!). Nevertheless, we couldn’t resist waving our kaleidoscopic She and Hem wand over some of the awesome pieces from the Boohoo festival collection and styling them up a storm. If you’ve read our About page, you may know that we actually met at a festival in Oxford over 10 years ago (!!) and have been firm friends ever since, even though we were certainly not as well dressed. Festival fashion is a lot more exciting now. If only Boohoo were around back then!

For us, festival fashion is less about neon and feathers and more about being relaxed and comfortable come rain or shine, because if you are at a British festival, you are probably going to get quite a bit of the former! Denim hotpants are not really for us. We went for easy to wear smocks with billowing sleeves, with Jo choosing the beautiful Ari Embroidered Blousen Sleeve Dress, while I (Victoria) styled the cute Laura Embroidered Demin Smock. Worried about feeling chilly? Fret not, for layers are your friend. A colourful bomber like the Rebecca Printed Bomber, seen above, is an excellent option.

Don’t forget about accessories! Sungasses are great for tired (hungover) eyes, whereas flimsy footwear is a definite no. We find boots are great for walking around the festival site and are a stylish alternative to wellies. My blue beauties are from Boden and Jo’s tan lace up boots are from New Look. As twinning luck would have it, we also both chose rucksacks as our festival bags of choice. I picked up this white wonder from Accessorize last year and it’s proven to be a staple in my wardrobe, especially to take on weekends away. Jo’s gorgeous brown version from Aldo has unfortunately sold out, but there is a similar one here. Our glorious floral crowns are from Crown and Glory. Bubbles, fizzy pop and mega lolz are models own.

Any regular readers will know how much we love Emily and Fin, so when the lovely ladies at Aspire Style asked us if we wanted to feature their new Summer range, we jumped at the chance! Not only that but they have very kindly offered us and our readers a wonderful 10% discount for the site, using code SHEANDHEM at the checkout. Apologies to your bank balance in advance!

If you want to try before you buy (and are local to Warwick, Stratford upon Avon, Oxford, Solihull or Coventry) we would definitely recommend popping into an Aspire Style store, which is what we did when we had a lovely city break away in Oxford! They have so much great stuff, we promise you won’t be disappointed!

You can’t walk five minutes down the road in Bristol without finding an incredible mural or brightly coloured door, but we were particularly taken with this beach hut inspired green and white garage door. So much so that we heaped praise onto the owner when he popped out of his house to jump into his car. He was rather chuffed! We hope you’ll agree that it was the perfect match for our Seaside* and Cornish Harbour* print dresses. The Cornish Harbour print is so gorgeous and we love the Seaside print so much that we now both own it! Can we also quickly mention how much we appreciate that all Emily and Fin dresses have pockets! It’s an absolute winner.

I (Victoria) wore the Seaside dress, which features a brilliant beach scene complete with sunbathing ladies, in the Lucy shape. This shape is so flattering, comfortable and easy to wear. I accessorised with pink brogues from New Look (similar available here), matching pink sunglasses from Boden* and clear tights from UK Tights*. My vintage radio bag is from Accessorize, although unfortunately it’s currently out of stock online. Jo decided to pick up the lovely shades of pink and blue in her colourful Cornish harbour and accessorised with pink sunglasses from Amazon, an ice cream bag from Skinny Dip (also out of stock but they always have winning novelty bags so don’t be too glum), a pink Boden belt* and baby blue brogues from M&S (similar available here). Not quite ready to brave a bare leg, white tights from UK Tights* were the order of the day.

Huge thanks to Aspire Style for inviting us to style these beautiful frocks! Which is your fave? Let us know if you pick anything up and don’t forget to use the discount code SHEANDHEM ….

Hello and welcome to the 27th Accessories to Murder! Are you ready to delve into the world of amazing accessories? Excellent. Without further ado, here are the accessories that have made it onto this week’s She and Hem’s Most Wanted.

Lido Medium Zip-Top Grab Bag £229 from Radley

Redchurch Large Zip-Top Backpack £229 (or the same bag in green is reduced to £153) from Radley

Lido Medium Bucket Cross Body Bag £59 from Radley

Lido Mini Crooked Handle Telescopic Umbrella £30 from Radley

Considering my Mother has been raving about Radley for as long as I can remember, it’s a surprise that it’s taken me this long to jump on the bandwagon. But consider me a fully fledged fan thanks to their adorable Lido range which is so delightful (apart from the pricetag, naturally). I’m also slightly obsessed with their yellow and white backpack of dreams!

*Click the individual items for direct links*

The Queen’s 90th Birthday Tea Towel £10 from Cath Kidston

Ol’ Queenie is turning 90 this month and I can’t think of a more fitting way to celebrate than by drying my teacups with this tea towel from Cath Kidston. I think Liz would totally approve. I really can’t get over the corgies wearing party hats and blowing their party horns. GENIUS. There’s also a mug and tote bag available if you really want to party hard!

Waverley Wayfarer Sunglasses £14 from Topshop

How lovely are these pink polka dot sunglasses from Topshop? They are so cute! I mean, I need another pair like I need a hole in the head but still, so cute!

My bank balance is having a darn good chortle at the very idea that I might ever be able to buy this insane Kate Spade teapot bag but corr blimey it’s a bit special. Thankfully, the rather lovely tea time studs are more budget friendly and, umm, will take up less space in my flat? That’s the silver lining I’m going with anyway.

Hello and welcome to the 23rd Accessories to Murder! Are you ready to delve into the world of amazing accessories? Excellent! Without further ado, here are the accessories that have made it onto this week’s She and Hem’s Most Wanted.

Pretend everyday is your birthday with this Bow Box Bag from ASOS. It’s cute, sparkly and has a massive bow. What’s not to love? I feel like I can’t move onto the next item without also mentioning those incredible pink bow heels. Now I can’t seem to find them online, but I have found a silver version here, which are just as special. Bow fans, you are very welcome.

Running with the novelty bag theme for a moment, next up we have this Shell Clutch Bag, chosen especially for all of our mermaid readers. Believe me, I’ve checked the stats and those mermaids love to keep a keen eye on our Most Wanted. This clutch is such a beaut that I’d be more than happy to shell out a few clams for it. If it’s not for you, then get the shell out of here!

All of my sugary dreams have come true because some absolute genius has created a Poptart Phone Case. Here’s hoping it’s the start of a whole Poptart range. I want to see Poptart pyjamas, Poptart bikinis and Poptart pants. If any of these things already exist, let me know, yeah?

Although this purse is more Popsicle than Poptart, it’s definitely just as tasty. Kate Spade is full of gorgeous items at the moment, but I thought I’d give you the scoop on this ice cream dream. The fun and colourful print also comes in other flavours, with a sleek and slim card wallet also available. Treat yourself and get them both.

Accessorize seem to be going out of their way to ensure I’ve saved up no pennies for my upcoming holiday. First up I just HAD to buy the Robot Bag, followed by the awesome Radio Bag, and now they go and release the twee as you like Picnic Basket Bag. I’m an utter basket case for gingham. Top Tip, if you can find a store with any Robot Bags left, they are now measly FIVE POUNDS!

To be honest, I’ve not completely made up my mind about these Cheshire Cat Pumps, part of the Alice in Wonderland collaboration between Irregular Choice and Office. They are so fun, look super comfortable with that cute small heel, and c’mon the have a big smiling cat on for goodness sake. I’m just not sure where I would wear them, yet I am strangely captivated by them. I think the price is also a little off putting, but I’m sure I will be ALL over them if they get reduced.

Let me know what you think of this weeks items, and keep accessorizing!

She and Hem favourites Clarks have joined forces with London’s Victoria and Albert Museum for the second time to create the most gnarly 1960’s inspired collection we’ve ever seen. Clarks x V&A is full of subtle heels and not so subtle floral prints, every SS16 shoe is magical. What’s even more magical is, they are also rather comfortable. Groovy baby! We were both all over that floral print like bloggers around a flatlay and couldn’t wait to take some outfit photos! As luck would have it, our previous post already had us embracing the correct era so it seemed like the perfect time to add some sixties soles (sorry) and see just what would work with such a jazzy shoe (the answer FYI is pretty much anything).

I (Victoria) fell in love with my Swixties Ball* shoes as soon as they arrived. I was so desperate to wear them that I just had to break them out for London Fashion Week, and they really went down a treat. Thank goodness they are so comfortable, as walking around London all day is quite the feet! For our shoot in our ever so colourful local park, I teamed my blossoming beauties with a vintage 1960’s dress from the gorgeous Heartfelt Vintage in Bristol and thick black tights from UK Tights*, because it’s still blooming cold out there! My incredible blue and pink novelty bag is the vintage radio bag from Accessorize, and I think I love it almost as much as the shoes.

Jo chose the Swixties Pop* slingbacks with added cute buckle detail. They look fabulous with her two awesome pieces from H&M, a brown mini skirt (oh so 60’s!) and the mustard blouse with stand up collar, which is SO good we both purchased it without the other one knowing, classic She and Hem japes. To finish the retro look, she popped on an incredible flamingo cardigan from Bryony and Co* which should be hitting their website later this week. Regular readers may also recognise her dreamy yellow Amanda handbag from Boden*. What a couple of cool cats.

To celebrate Hairspray the Musical coming to town, we decided to see if we could bring the 60’s style into 2016. We do love a challenge! We grabbed our make up, hair straighteners and all the hairspray we could find and set about creating two 60’s inspired hair and make up looks.

The transition from the delicate ladylike looks of the 1950’s to the fancy-free 1960’s trends was epic, with the 1960’s giving us mini skirts, mods and brilliant bobs. Idols such as Audrey Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot and Edie Sedgwick introduced bold, graphic flicked eyeliner, pretty pale skin (hooray!) and nude lips. The soft nude lips were a real contrast from the popular red lip of the 1950’s and helped to emphasize the exaggerated eyes, which were heavy on the black mascara and fake lashes. A lot like today, the cheekbones were accentuated with a highlighter and a light rosy blush was applied.

In regards to hair, along with the famous beehives and bouffants, luckily for us hair was also worn long throughout the 1960’s, sometimes with a lift, thanks to some harsh backcombing and a ton of hairspray! I (Victoria) love a good ol’ beehive, but unfortunately I don’t really have the skills when it comes to updo’s, so instead I pulled the top of my hair into a small quiff fixed with an oversized gingham bow from Beau xoxo. To create the ringlet effect on the lengths, I used a really simple but effective trick and put my hair in a high bun for the morning, spritzing it with Rush hairspray to help add volume and twirling around my fingertips after taking it out of the bun. Bonza! Jo parted her hair into a gorgeous side parting, pulled the rest of the top of her hair back, and used Batiste dry shampoo to add volume. She then straightened the lengths to create a chic 60’s style.

On Thursday I popped down to The Mall at Cribbs Causeway with my friend, fashion icon and fellow M&S appreciator Kelly to catch one of the runway shows of Bristol Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 15. This was my third BFW and it was definitely the best so far thanks to the brilliant movie theme that was embraced from start to finish! It was such a nice touch to be welcomed with popcorn and Kelly and I had a great time admiring the movie posters as we drank our delicious fruity drinks.

The first thing to catch our eye on the catwalk was the ‘High Shine’ collection from John Lewis! You can’t beat a bit of glitz and glamour and I suddenly became all about sparkles, faux fur and sunglasses! What a combination! Plus, how much do I want to be the sort of girl to rock up at the work Christmas party wearing an actual crown?? I also loved the 70s injection courtesy of M&S during the ‘Nomadic’ segment. I can totally see myself trying this look out come the colder weather and couldn’t help but notice the similarities between that pink hat and the one from Accessorize I fell in love with in our last post! I may have made a sneaky purchase after the show!

As someone who likes to dress in as many bright colours as possible, the large amount of grey and black on the catwalk (the grey coat appears to be this seasons staple) didn’t really do it for me although, once again, I was really feeling the faux fur accessories! I’m going to be a big fan of this trend I can see! Both Kelly and I also enjoyed the liberal use of colourful tights which gave everything a bit of a Gossip Girl vibe and is certainly something I will be happy to embrace!

The two stand out pieces for us were the black sequin jacket (which was spectacularly hard to photograph) from M&S, naturally. It’s absolutely stunning and a brilliant take on the biker jacket. Imagine throwing that on top of your dresses come party season! We did several laps of the store after the show but sadly couldn’t find it (probably just as well as it’s £89) but it is available online should you be feeling flush. The other was the gold and purple fringe dress of dreams from Phase Eight at John Lewis which had Kelly shouting “MAKE SURE YOU TAKE PHOTOS OF THAT!” at me as it came sashaying down the catwalk, fringe all over the shop. What a stunner.

Did you go to Bristol Fashion Week? What was your favourite piece? And how are we all feeling about crimped hair??

Jx

Jo wears – Floral Print Ruffle Dress from Topshop, bag and tights both past season from M&S, Pointed Loafers from Boden* and heart sunglasses from TkMaxx

Kelly wears – Dress from Primark (available in store), bag from Joy, a scrabble necklace (similar available from Not on the High Street) and a watch from Urban Outfitters

With Bristol Fashion Week AW15 kicking off in traditional style here in Brizzle, we headed to The Mall at Cribbs Causeway last week for a little flavour of what’s in store! We spent a jolly ol’ evening with our fellow local bloggers in Accessorize who kindly let us indulge in a lot of of fashion/wedding chat whilst drinking all their wine, eating all their cake and fawning over their novelty bags. Seriously, so many novelty bags.

When they managed to drag us away from the cake, the lovely manager talked us through the new collections as well as giving us an insight into what is going to be big over the next season. One thing is for sure, Accessorize have embraced a rather luxurious vibe, with an opulent colour pallet of gold and berry tones creating a bit of glamour in everything from ponchos to pom poms! We are seriously all about a pom pom! The festive season is also sneaking in with lots of sparkly accessories appearing on the shelves! We love all that glitters so some real restraint had to be used but we will no doubt be back for a cheeky Christmas clutch come December! It was also no surprise to learn that the 70s are still big news this Autumn and tassel lovers will be pleased to know that they are well catered for with lots of Moroccan influences appearing too!

But of course for us it was alllll about the novelty bags! Ever since that camera bag Accessorize have just been nailing the novelty! How adorable is that robot bag? NEED. Perhaps more sensibly, we also became rather smitten with a rather smashing boxy red satchel and a pink fedora which we are expertly (stop laughing) modelling for you below.

Bristol Fashion Week runs from Wednesday 30th – Sunday 4th of October with tickets starting at £8.95. With 17 catwalks to choose from, it’s always an excellent time with plenty of energy on the catwalk (no poker faces here!).

Hello and welcome to the 16th Accessories to Murder. Are you ready to delve into the world of amazing accessories? Excellent! Without further ado, here are the accessories that have made it onto this week’s She and Hem’s Most Wanted. It’s a big ol’ bag bonanza this week!

I used to have a titanic fear of novelty boat bags, but that ship sailed when I laid eyes on this Origami shoulder bag from The Whitepepper via ASOS. Yes, it maybe a novelty bag, but it looks big enough to use day to day and definitely floats my boat.

Boom! This Dinosaur clutch bag is dino-mite. You can always rely on The Whitepepper for a great animal clutch. Remember those unicorn beauts? This season, you will mostly find me carrying this dino whilst zealously humming the Jurassic Park theme tune. It’ll be roarsome.

Accessorize have updated their cute Cara Camera Bag, although I’m sorry to tell you that you still can’t take a selfie with it. Unlucky. If that makes you a little snappy, perhaps you should go for their Apple Juice Bag instead? It’s very a-peeling indeed! Having admired it in store several times, I would say this fun and fruity little number is just about big enough to carry your essentials in.

I’ve really been impressed with New Look’s selection of bags ever since getting my amazing Orange clutch that I took along to the Company Awards last year. This year, they have gone bonkers for bananas and preposterous for pineapples. Not to mention wacky about watermelon, ludicrous for lemons and silly for strawberries. What a bunch of fruitcakes! I just couldn’t feature New Look without giving you the scoop on their delightful Ice Cream Clutch. Perfect for any day of the week, especially a Sundae…

I’ve been trying to get my hands on one of these Next Drumstick Clutch bags since I first saw them pop up on Next’s Instagram during a recent press day. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get one in any local stores or online, until the other day when I managed to track them down, hiding in the clearance section online! Sweet victory! What’s even sweeter is, that it’s just been reduced from £32 to £11. Definitely the best bargain I’ve seen all year.

Lastly I’ve chosen this Postcard Clutch, again from Next. Although both bags are called clutch’s, they do both come with chains, so can be worn over the shoulder. If Next bring out any more incredible bags, I’ll be sure to keep you posted!